Italian Grand Prix LIVE: F1 updates as Max Verstappen wins in Monza with Charles Leclerc and George Russell on podium
Follow all the latest reaction to the Italian Grand Prix at Monza as Max Verstappen moves to brink of defending title
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Max Verstappen won the Italian Grand Prix after Charles Leclerc’s pit-stop gamble backfired.
Ferrari driver Leclerc led Verstappen by two seconds at Monza when Sebastian Vettel broke down after a dozen laps and the virtual safety car was deployed.
Leclerc dived into the pits in the hope of making his rubber last to the end, but 125,000 Ferrari hearts sunk in Monza as the Monegasque was forced to concede the lead when he stopped for a second time.
Their hopes were revived when a safety car was sent out on lap 46 of 53 after Daniel Ricciardo stopped in his McLaren.
But the marshals could not clear Ricciardo’s McLaren before the end, and the race effectively finished behind the safety car to boos from the Ferrari fans.
Verstappen took his fifth win in a row, his 11th from 16 this season, and extended his championship lead to 116 points with just six rounds remaining.
Verstappen will have his first shot at sealing his second world championship in as many seasons at the next round in Singapore on October 3.
Mercedes’ George Russell started second and completed the podium. Carlos Sainz took fourth, while Lewis Hamilton, demoted to the back of the grid with engine penalties, crossed the line in fifth.
A one-minute silence was observed by the Formula One grid ahead of Sunday’s race in memory of the Queen. Italian president Sergio Mattarella was present for the formalities.
Leclerc called on his Ferrari team to end their run of blunders and help him convert his dazzling pole position into victory. But Ferrari’s strategy will again be in the spotlight.
It started so well for Leclerc when he blasted away from his marks and held off Russell heading into the Variante del Rettifilo. The British driver was forced to take to the escape road, and the home crowd roared as Leclerc led.
Verstappen, who started seventh following a five-place grid drop for an engine penalty, was quickly on the move.
By the end of lap one he was already up to fourth, before he sailed past Ricciardo for third. On lap five, the Dutchman eased ahead of Russell for second.
Leclerc was comfortably keeping Verstappen at arm’s length when Vettel’s engine expired. The VSC was deployed, and Leclerc’s engineer was on the radio.
“What do you think about boxing for Plan A?” asked Xavier Marcos Padros. “It will be tight but probably the best solution,” replied Leclerc.
In came the 24-year-old for fresh rubber as the rest of the field stayed out. Could Leclerc make his tyres last 41 laps?
The answer arrived on lap 21 when Leclerc’s race engineer was back on the radio to say Ferrari would revert to ‘Plan C’. The message might have been coded, but it was obvious that Leclerc would need to stop again.
Leclerc assumed the lead on lap 26 when Verstappen stopped. He was 10 seconds clear of the Red Bull driver, but the Dutchman halved Leclerc’s advantage before the Ferrari changed tyres for a second time.
Leclerc left the pits trailing Verstappen by 20 seconds, and, despite a late safety car providing him with hope he could challenge for victory, it was the world champion who claimed yet another win.
Italian Grand Prix: Lap 2/53
Verstappen up to fourth! Tucked in behind Ricciardo.
What drama, stunning from the world champion.
Lewis Hamilton back down in 19th.
Sainz (15th) and Perez (16th) looking to work their way through the field too.
Italian Grand Prix: Lap 1/53
Russell off to a flyer but then over the rumble strip.
The tifosi go crazy, Leclerc leads!
Norris in trouble and desperately trying to recover.
Verstappen up and on the back of Gasly.
Italian Grand Prix
It’s a gorgeous day in Monza.
Formation lap is underway...
Will we see drama today? An upset? Verstappen is so dominant and remains favourite here.
F1 Italian Grand Prix: Lewis Hamilton considers cockpit distractions due to overtaking issues at Monza
Lewis Hamilton fears overtaking at Sunday’s Italian Grand Prix could be so difficult he might be better off watching Game of Thrones on an iPad inside his Mercedes cockpit.
Hamilton qualified fifth at Monza, 1.3 seconds behind pole-sitter Charles Leclerc, but he is set to start in 19th place after taking on his fourth power unit of the campaign – one more than he is allowed.
Overtaking is possible at the so-called Temple of Speed, but Hamilton fears a DRS train – formed when a line of cars get stuck behind one another as they use their own energy boosts – will thwart his progress through the pack.
“I was behind Valtteri Bottas in practice and I couldn’t catch him or pass him,” said Hamilton. “So I hope I don’t get stuck tomorrow. But I imagine I will be in a DRS train, and we will just be sitting there and hoping for chances through strategy and tyre degradation from other drivers.”
Hamilton added with a smile: “I was thinking of taking my iPad with me in the race and, when I am in a DRS line, I will just watch the new Game of Thrones.” Hamilton’s yellow 44 on the side of his Mercedes has been turned to black in honour of the Queen, with a plethora of tributes being paid up and down the paddock to the long-serving monarch.
Lewis Hamilton considers cockpit distractions due to overtaking issues at Monza
Hamilton is set to start the Italian Grand Prix from 19th place
F1 Italian Grand Prix: EXCLUSIVE - Lando Norris on dealing with online abuse and a ‘tough’ year on-track
At the peak of last year’s exhilarating title showdown between Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton, F1 revealed the results of a survey conducted among over 150,000 fans in 187 countries. Within the number-crunching that followed, the most popular name among female fans and under-25s stood out. Because it wasn’t Verstappen, nor was it seven-time world champion Hamilton. Instead, it was Lando Norris.
The affable 22-year-old, in his fourth season with McLaren, is now a household name but goes about his business nonchalantly; an undeniable swagger which has grown year-on-year in correlation with his booming popularity.
This chat for instance takes place a day after Norris, to use his own words, “shockingly” competed at the BMW PGA Championship Pro-am at Wentworth but where he had “more fans than Rory (McIlroy)… I think!” We speak too whilst his neck is covered in a Daniel Ricciardo-directed honey badger and a love heart, inspired for a video on McLaren’s social channels.
This is what makes Norris so trendy with Generation Z. His golf rounds are viewable to all online. His gaming sessions are streamed live on Twitch. His face on This Morning is now well-known. Yet beneath the warm bravado, bouncing around the motorhome like a spring chicken, is a man all too aware of the dangers of social media and the abuse it can trigger.
“I don’t even have Twitter on my phone,” he reveals to The Independent. “With Instagram, I use it the amount I need to. Of course I read the comments, everyone does. I just laugh at the bad comments.”
‘I laugh at the bad comments’: Lando Norris on dealing with online abuse
Exclusive interview: One of Formula 1’s biggest stars talks about the perils of life away from the paddock as well as his deep desire to win his first Grand Prix
Italian Grand Prix odds
- Max Verstappen 4/5
- Charles Leclerc 5/4
- George Russell 12/1
- Sergio Perez 33/1
- Lewis Hamilton 40/1
- Carlos Sainz 50/1
- Lando Norris 66/1
- Fernando Alonso 100/1
George Russell: You’d be pretty stupid to bet against Max Verstappen
“You’d have to be pretty stupid to bet against it,” George Russell said on Max Verstappen winning in Monza.
“He just has to keep his nose clean in the first few laps and he will cruise to victory. We’ll be trying to finish ahead of Charles. That will be an exciting race.”
Verstappen is the favourite today at 4/5.
Max Verstappen ahead of Italian Grand Prix
“The lap was pretty decent, just the first sector we seemed to be a little bit slow - a bit of straight-line speed, a bit of not finding the grip. But the rest of the lap felt pretty strong,” said the Belgian-Dutch world champion.
“We chose a higher downforce (level) than some other cars and the race runs felt good so I am looking forward to the race.
“I just need a clean lap one and clear the cars in front quite quickly and then I think we have a good chance.
“I am still expecting to get up to Charles, and then it will be a bit of a battle.”
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